“Living the life of Riley” In memoriam from October 4, 2002, everything in between, to October 24, 2009.
It’s a sad day in the Partak household. We woke to the news that Riley died last night. He was at our friend’s house while we were in Monterey for a National Guard function. How he died is immaterial, rather how he lived is all that matters.
Riley lived life to the fullest. He was always happy, unless he did something wrong and was punished but he would soon forget and be happy again. He always greeted you as if you had been gone for years even if you just walked across the street to get the mail. Riley loved to sleep and he would always be the last one out of bed, but once we were up and moving he had to be with us. He also loved to eat. He would paw at the freezer for his favorite Bowowlicious snack or get up on the kitchen table to take a little taste of my pie...he got in trouble for that! He was always up for a good game of tug. He made sure that the deer and turkeys kept their distance but was friendly to everyone else he met. There wasn’t much he didn’t like. Kathy had to think hard but she finally remembered he didn’t link to be sprayed with stuff that made him smell good, he preferred to be a little stinky. We won’t have to worry about keeping the gates closed or calling him in for barking late at night. We will have more room in the bed but I don’t think we will sleep as good. Riley was a unique dog, a one of a kind that will be impossible to replace.
Riley left us too soon but he left some lessons for all of us. Say good bye like it’s your last day on earth. Say hello as if you had been gone for a long time. Be passionate in all you do. Take advantage of the little pleasures. Play hard and rest well. Find a sunny spot on a warm day or lay by the fire on a cold one. Nothing is better medicine to cure your ills then a furry companion. Go for a walk or a run every day. Love the ones you’re with.
The first song we heard when we decided to turn the radio up was Clay Walker’s “Live, Laugh, Love,” a song that fit the way Riley lived. After I picked up Riley’s body, Randy Travis’s song, “Three Wooden Crosses” came on. One of the lines in the lyrics goes “It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, It's what you leave behind you when you go.”
It’s a sad day in the Partak household. We woke to the news that Riley died last night. He was at our friend’s house while we were in Monterey for a National Guard function. How he died is immaterial, rather how he lived is all that matters.
Riley lived life to the fullest. He was always happy, unless he did something wrong and was punished but he would soon forget and be happy again. He always greeted you as if you had been gone for years even if you just walked across the street to get the mail. Riley loved to sleep and he would always be the last one out of bed, but once we were up and moving he had to be with us. He also loved to eat. He would paw at the freezer for his favorite Bowowlicious snack or get up on the kitchen table to take a little taste of my pie...he got in trouble for that! He was always up for a good game of tug. He made sure that the deer and turkeys kept their distance but was friendly to everyone else he met. There wasn’t much he didn’t like. Kathy had to think hard but she finally remembered he didn’t link to be sprayed with stuff that made him smell good, he preferred to be a little stinky. We won’t have to worry about keeping the gates closed or calling him in for barking late at night. We will have more room in the bed but I don’t think we will sleep as good. Riley was a unique dog, a one of a kind that will be impossible to replace.
Riley left us too soon but he left some lessons for all of us. Say good bye like it’s your last day on earth. Say hello as if you had been gone for a long time. Be passionate in all you do. Take advantage of the little pleasures. Play hard and rest well. Find a sunny spot on a warm day or lay by the fire on a cold one. Nothing is better medicine to cure your ills then a furry companion. Go for a walk or a run every day. Love the ones you’re with.
The first song we heard when we decided to turn the radio up was Clay Walker’s “Live, Laugh, Love,” a song that fit the way Riley lived. After I picked up Riley’s body, Randy Travis’s song, “Three Wooden Crosses” came on. One of the lines in the lyrics goes “It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, It's what you leave behind you when you go.”
Riley left us a lot in his short life.
Feel free to email Kathy but please don’t call right now. Don’t ask what happened, we don’t even really know and don’t want to. All we can say is it was an accident and there is no one to blame. Kathy will return your calls when she feels up to it. Dave
Feel free to email Kathy but please don’t call right now. Don’t ask what happened, we don’t even really know and don’t want to. All we can say is it was an accident and there is no one to blame. Kathy will return your calls when she feels up to it. Dave
